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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061413">Muggle Studies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsRen/pseuds/MrsRen'>MrsRen</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSlytherinCabal/pseuds/TheSlytherinCabal'>TheSlytherinCabal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Draco's 40th Birthday Gift Fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, Gift Fic, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Muggle world, Piercings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:20:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>946</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061413</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsRen/pseuds/MrsRen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSlytherinCabal/pseuds/TheSlytherinCabal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry's obsession with Malfoy is definitely, definitely over. Just don't ask anyone who knows him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Draco's 40th Birthday Gift Fics [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>103</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>DFF &amp; Cabal Modmin Drabble Prizes</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Muggle Studies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaeOrabel/gifts">FaeOrabel</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This gift ficlet is in response to a contest held by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheSlytherinCabal/">The Slytherin Cabal on Facebook</a> for Draco’s 40th Birthday. FaeOrabel won admin’s choice on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2666929646746896&amp;set=p.2666929646746896&amp;type=3&amp;theater">this post</a> and provided a prompt.</p><p>Prompt: Draco has a piercing - any pairing.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As a requirement for returning seventh years—eighth years, technically—Muggle Studies was mandatory. Harry didn’t mind the class, even though it was clear who the requirement was actually for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Hermione had told him once, she’d definitely told him twice, but it just wasn’t fair to single out the Slytherins. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The point was that the class hardly bothered him with its easy assignments and discussions. Of course, that wasn’t to say there </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>an issue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if it weren’t bad enough to share a class with Malfoy, it seemed his own head was set to do him in when he realized the reason he’d been so observant—at least part of the reason—was due to attraction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hate had just been a convenient way to ignore what had apparently always been there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he no longer had the luxury of that excuse. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Their professor decided to </span>
  <em>
    <span>mix </span>
  </em>
  <span>things up by swapping partners. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blond entered his vision as Harry dumped himself into the chair beside Malfoy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lips curled into a sneer, he knew he ought to have paid more attention to the expression than the soft curve, but he rarely did what he ought to. Besides, he reassured himself silently, it would be over soon enough. Malfoy would be his partner for a handful of days, at most, and then he’d be right back to Ron and Hermione and pretending he wasn’t imagining what it would be like to kiss that terrible look off Malfoy’s face. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>It wasn’t alright. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In fact, everything was so fucking far removed from being </span>
  <em>
    <span>alright</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Harry thought the floor might as well crumble beneath his feet, too. Since the universe had decided that its one purpose was to constantly trip him up and— </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just a short trip to the Muggle world, mate.” Ron was not at all reassuring. “It’ll only last a couple of hours.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t be saying that if you were partnered with Malfoy.” </span>
</p>
<hr/><p><span>Their assignment was to experience something fun, Professor David</span> <span>said. Her cheerful smile, that had swept from the scar hidden behind his hair to the surly man on his right, had only served to further irritate him. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Between snide comments about the Muggle world having nothing of interest—despite Harry’s suggestions in an effort not to fail the easiest class in Hogwarts—Draco had slipped up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry hadn’t meant to touch him, even though he couldn’t say he would complain due to his own traitorous curiosity. Still, his partner paused for just a moment when Harry’s hand brushed his, and Malfoy squeezed his eyes shut. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was so interesting that he did it again as they paid for lunch, his fingers sliding against the back of Malfoy’s hand. “Sorry,” Harry mumbled. “I’ll pay since I doubt you have er… money.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Malfoy’s face turned red as he tugged him out of the restaurant by his collar. “Did you just insinuate that I don’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>money</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Potter?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, well, it did sound ridiculous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Muggle money, obviously.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” he snapped. “I know what you meant, but that girl back there must think I just make my boyfriend pay for everything.” When Harry fell quiet, Malfoy continued to prattle on as if his mind had caught up to his mouth. “Since Professor Davis told us restaurants didn’t bloody count for an excursion, we’ll have to do something else.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He started to suggest the zoo, but Malfoy seized him by the wrist and pulled him down the street behind him. “Wait—I don’t think you want to go in there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go where I please,” Draco hissed, punctuating the statement with a sharp glare. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>In hindsight, Harry wasn’t all too sure how he ended up sitting in a room with Malfoy while he flipped through the book cracked open across his lap. “There are so many.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You probably shouldn’t, uh…” Harry scratched the back of his neck. “Getting a piercing seems a little extreme for a school project.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you’re so eager to look out for me, you could do it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No, Harry had already won that game of flip the galleon, thank you very much. Malfoy would probably back out though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he didn’t, and Harry tried not to look gobsmacked when Malfoy gripped his hand so tightly he thought it might bruise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On three,” the man said, and there was a chuckle in his voice. “One, two—” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Malfoy made a weak sound, but to his credit, he barely budged. “You said—” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You would have tensed up. Besides, that wasn’t too bad, was it?” He left the room with a promise to be right back, and Harry </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>glance down at their joined hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If he were honest, and he was afraid to be, Harry didn’t want to cut the moment short anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Malfoy did look down, and a strangled little groan wrenched its way free before he cleared his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Harry looked at him, gaze drawn to the small hoop in his nose, and grinned. “I like it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He faltered. “Oh?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It suits you.” Leaning towards Malfoy should have made him feel out of place, but then it felt like something that was always meant to happen, and his heart gave a useless turn in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door opened, and there was a sharp </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s head whipped to the side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bloody buggering—” Malfoy cried out. “You tremendous arsehole!’ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m the arsehole?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t turn your head! Your ridiculous hair is caught in the fucking ring.” Draco whimpered, fingers threading through Harry’s once more. “And yes, you’re always the arsehole.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Through bouts of laughter, the man told them not to move even a centimetre while he separated them. </span>
</p>
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